Inside Ohio State Legend Ezekiel Elliott's 'Awkward' Wait on the Cowboys & NFL

The truth about Ezekiel Elliott and the Cowboys? There is no warm plan. There is no fuzzy plan. There is no reunion plan.

Author:
Matt Galatzan
Jun 12, 2023 11:06 AM EDT

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Ohio State Buckeyes

Dallas Cowboys

The idea being discussed by the national media regarding the Dallas Cowboys and running back Ezekiel Elliott is all about some sort of warm-and-fuzzy reunion, including suggestions that Dallas "has the door open'' ... almost as if there is a pen and a contract waiting for him ... upon his the Ohio State Buckeyes legend's triumphant return to The Star.

The truth? There is no warm plan. There is no fuzzy plan. There is no reunion plan.

The NFL is a never-say-never place, so things could certainly change from that spring day when Zeke's big contract caused the Cowboys to release him. At some point, as he remains on the free agency shelf, with nary a nibble, the two-time NFL rushing champion once deemed worthy of $15 million a year might have to consider accepting a contract that amounts to a fraction of that.

Would Zeke going back to the Cowboys be "awkward,'' as has been suggested? Maybe. But the parties can work around that; he is a strong locker room guy, respected as a leader. He would surely be accepted as a leader again, even as an obvious backup to Pro Bowl starter Tony Pollard.

Know that the Cowboys have full faith that Pollard can be the guy coming out of the backfield - which the numbers support. Last season for the Cowboys he rushed for 1,007 yards and nine touchdowns, adding 39 receptions for 371 yards and three touchdowns through the air.

Zeke helped in other ways, including getting it done in short-yardage situations; he scored 12 TDs. But Dallas presently has a deep running back room behind Pollard as it tries to move on. This offseason the Cowboys signed Ronald Jones and drafted Deuce Vaughn, with Malik Davis and Rico Dowdle also options.

This is football. An injury is going to occur, in Dallas or elsewhere. Zeke's name will come up. But training camps are six weeks away. Elliott, who continues to work out vigorously in Frisco, likely faces a wait that is what qualifies as "awkward'' ... with "warm and fuzzy'' remaining unlikely.